Asked by Lusa about whether a CPLP investment bank was necessary to meet needs that the set of multilateral financing institutions does not solve, Téte António replied: "Why a CPLP investment bank, as if asking 'why an economic pillar CPLP, despite all the other existing mechanisms for the same purpose'?".
"We think that the CPLP has its characteristics, it has its needs. Like all other groups [multilateral organizations], we have to have all the instruments to complete this mosaic of decisions we make in terms of trade, business, mobility, circulation of people and goods", said the head of the Angolan diplomacy, at the end of a meeting with the executive secretary of the organization, Zacarias da Costa, in Lisbon.
"All of this requires the existence of all the foundations. And the financial foundation is the nerve of war. We would have an incomplete mosaic if we did not have this instrument at our disposal," he added.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, who assumed the biannual presidency of the CPLP in mid-July, said: "The question of the investment bank is being seen. It is part of that economic pillar. The bank is a crucial instrument for the projects we have in economic matters can succeed".
In this context, the minister revealed that a "tripartite technical meeting in Luanda" with the participation of the CPLP Ministries of Finance, Trade and Economy - to "begin to materialize this desire of the Member States" is planned "in the next few days".
"A ministerial meeting is also planned on the same matter at the beginning of next year", said the head of the Angolan diplomacy, who "will fine-tune the machinery so that this project becomes a reality".
Téte António declined to give details on the business aspect of the economic pillar that Angola was betting on "materialising", referring them to the outcome of that ministerial meeting.
"I think it is necessary to give priority to the technical areas to work on the issue, the technical meeting and then the ministerial meeting. Afterwards, we will certainly have much more elements to give to the press," he said.
"I think that there is a consensus among the Member States on this issue [the fourth pillar, or economic pillar of the CPLP]. The decision was recorded [at the XIII Summit of Heads of State and Government in July, which launched the Angolan presidency], we are all in agreement that we are going to move in that direction," he said.
Zacarias da Costa considered that "the economic dimension was lacking in the CPLP, and at the right time the Angolan presidency elected it as one of the main objectives [of its mandate]".
The issue, underlined on the other hand the executive secretary of the CPLP, implies "looking at the organization statutes, in order to include this objective", which "is very important in the life" of the organization.
"We are working on it, so that this missing dimension can be materialized, with the discussions that took place in other presidencies, but which, in particular, in this presidency we will certainly materialize", explained Zacarias da Costa.
